Ghost Hunt: Seperate Files
by SorakoMizumi
Summary: Taniyama Mai and Tengoku Shiro are neighbors and classmates. What would happen if the young prodigy joins the adventures of the cast? Disclaimer: I only own Tengoku Shiro and anything else not related to the plot. I also do not own any pictures used.
1. Case 01: File 01

_**Case 01: Evil Spirits All Over?! part 01**_

_**File 01  
**_

* * *

[April, Thursday]

It was a rainy afternoon when I was meeting the others inside the dark Audio-visual Classroom with a flashlight on my hand, dimly glowing as we told each other some of the paranormal stories.

It was currently Mai's turn to tell a story.

Taniyama Mai-san is a 16-year-old female who had short brown hair and wide brown eyes. She is a cheerful female who is strong-willed and is somewhat obsessed with the paranormal.

"-so then, they say that the girl brought a policeman back to the public restroom." She narrated with a creepy voice.

I sweatdropped slightly, _'There are many things wrong with that scenario. If she were seriously in trouble, no self-respecting female will invite a male towards the public restroom while she was alone.__' _I sighed lowly as I turned to face the slightly open door of the classroom.

_'Who in their rational minds would lock themselves up alone without any other human contact when they already feel wary even if they were told to do so? There are already many things wrong with the scenario given.'_

My eyes sharpened slightly at the door as I felt a familiar presence outside the classroom that was too strong for a normal or non-spiritually aware human.

"Then, shortly after she went inside, like the policeman told her to, she heard the creepy voice once again!" My gaze returned to Taniyama-san and the others although my senses remained focus on the spiritual aura outside the door. "_**-'Do you want me to cover you with a red coat?'**_ The disembodied voice asked. And without realizing it... She replied _**'Y-yes'**_. But then... She screamed and the policeman hurriedly opened the door, and the girl was dripping with blood, almost as if she was covered in a red cape."

"Eww!" "Mai, don't use that scary voice!" Our other two classmates, and some of Taniyama-san's closest friends, gasped as Taniyama-san finished her story with an eerie grin. "Aren't you scared, Shiro-chan?"

I smiled softly as I turned off my light alongside Taniyama-san's. "Not really. My career choice has to do with those types of things most of the time."

My name is Xue, Xia Er or Tengoku Shiro, also known as Shi or Shire. I am half-Japanese and half-Chinese.

I used to travel to my elder brothers when they were not busy with their respective families.

Our parents died when I was born, and my brothers scattered throughout the world to finish their degrees and inherit their respective companies from our late parents.

I was able to study their profession and languages as I stayed with them but ever since they married their respective spouses, it is as if they had forgotten that they had a little sister.

So, I was self-sufficient due to them forgetting that I still exist although I did not really want to rely on them.

I lived in the same apartment building as Mai and I usually accompany her towards and from her school, therefore, we were close and we have a mutual understanding due to our similar circumstances, not wanting to be alone.

Our character and mindset differ from each other's as she is a bit naive towards darker experiences.

I just like to listen in their gatherings even though I am not friends with her two best friends because of how refreshingly _(ignorant)_ their stances are.

Today, we had stayed after school again, telling ghost stories in the AV room.

Mai said that there was a rumour that if we tell stories and turned off a light, and then count off in the end, there is supposed to be an extra person.

The extra person was supposed to be a spirit.

"You're up last, Michiru." Mai commented as I leaned my back against one of the tables to face the door.

"Okay, I'm going to tell you about the old schoolhouse." Michiru started, her voice trembling a bit.

The old schoolhouse she was talking about was a school building that was built a few decades ago.

The school building was built before the 2nd World War and it was built above swampy soil.

The building was about to be demolished for extra space, but rumours came up about how it is supposed to be haunted, but I did not believe a word about it.

After all, I am an accredited and licenced Ghost Hunter and Parapsychologist.

If I believed those rumours without accurate root, then my spiritual awareness and training would be useless because there are no paranormal activities there, unless there was a human unknowingly poltergeisting.

"The old one? You mean the half-collapsed wooden one?"

Michiru replied "It didn't collapse." Her eyes were narrowed as her eyebrows furrowed as the other two leaned closer, entranced with the story as I kept my eyes on the door, tilting my head to the other three as I relaxed my posture.

"Construction work on it was stopped. Because of a curse." My eyes slipped towards the others as I heard that, narrowing slightly as I slid them back to the door, feeling the strong aura pulse in curiosity. "There are a lot of people who died in that old schoolhouse, including a teacher who committed suicide."

My face, which was my usual serene visage, went blank in disbelief. _'The people who died in the old schoolhouse were due to unfortunate accidents, bullying and the weak structure of the building... And the teacher committed suicide because of stress and emotional build up, leading him to commit suicide on the school grounds after a stressful final lecture after-school, his Cause of Death was diagnosed to be a Nervous Breakdown.'_

"-So, when they were going to build the new school, I heard that when they were working to knock it down, the ceiling collapsed on some of the workers." Michiru's voice quivered "So, the work was suspended. Last year, they started again to rebuild the gymnasium, but then, a truck went out of control and crashed out onto the field where they were having a class and a student died."

I was starting to get annoyed by the ignorant gossipers. The reason why the truck swerved was because it carried more than the weight limit and the truck was old, the brake and clutch were not working properly, some of the tires were bald and haven't been changed, also the driver was driving hungover.

The other two flinched back as they heard the part when a student died as I pinched my nose, slightly shaking my head while my long silvery-blue hair moved as well.

"What's more, and I heard this from one of our upperclassmen, but one night, as she was passing by the old school...she said she saw a figure on one of the windows." I sighed as Mai gasped and flinched away.

I dusted my skirt while I was standing up to sit on one of the tables as Michiru finally turned the light off. _'That figure is either a reflection of the light post or a flicker of electricity in the building.'_

"Here goes. One..." Michiru started off.

"Two..." Keiko was next.

"Three..." Then Mai

"Four."...Me

"Five." A soft male voice resounded out after me as the other three screamed.

My form was angled towards the door as I smiled serenely at the amused glint that was present on the other male's eyes as the overhead lights flickered on.

I bowed slightly as I recognised the face of the intruder. "W-was that you just now?" Michiru asked the black-haired male as I stood up straight from my bow.

The male glanced at me with familiar eyes as his smile softened to a real smile for a split second.

"Was I out of line?" His smooth voice washed over me in a familiar state of calm.

"Oh... I was so scared, I couldn't move!" My eyes returned the teasing glint as I made eye contact with him, silently raising an eyebrow as he narrowed his eyes playfully.

"Excuse me. It was so dark, I didn't think anyone was in here, but then I heard voices, and I couldn't help myself." He walked forward a couple steps until he was behind me as I turned to look at my classmate's reactions, knowing that the male behind me was smiling hollowly at the others.

Mai looked a bit suspicious at my fellow researcher as he was being interrogated by the other two.

"We were telling ghost stories." Michiru gushed to our supposed upperclassman as I gently helped Mai stand up from her position.

"I see. I wonder if you'd let me join in?" His ice blue eyes connected with mine from behind Michiru as I subtly nodded in confirmation.

"Huh? Senpai, you like ghost stories, too?" My amused gaze was laughing at that question. _'He wouldn't need Ghost Stories to like it. He lives and thrives in the paranormal after all.'_. "Sure."

The two squealed in delight as his gaze turned colder as he gazed at them, not really liking the familiar fangirling attitude.

"Um, could you tell us what your name is?" My eyes connected with his while Mai walked until she was behind me. "Shibuya. Shibuya Kazuya." His eyes were emotionless as he introduced himself to the others but when they connect with mine, they spark with a warmth that is only given to the people he cares about.

"Um, Shibuya-san, what is it you're doing here?" Mai asked him as I walked to stand beside him, my body facing towards Mai but can comfortably shift my gaze between everyone. "There's something I needed to take care of."

Noll walked past me, brushing his hand alongside mine as he did so. "Then, shouldn't you get to it?" Mai...you should not give yourself a horrid first impression.

"Let us help you!" The other two followed him as I leaned back on the blackboard. "Nah. Instead, would you let me join in the next time you tell ghost stories?"

"Of course! How about tomorrow, after school?"

"That's fine. Where?"

"In our classroom."

Mai was suspiciously glaring at Oliver. And I exchanged glances with him from the corner of our eyes.

* * *

-_**Line Break-**_

* * *

[Friday]

My footsteps echoed through the abandoned hallway as I went out to greet my childhood friend.

"How long has it been? Noll, Kou-ge." I greeted the two of them as Oliver, now known as Kazuya, hugged me tightly.

"Shire (Shai-r), how great it is to see you..." Kazuya held me tightly as I wonder what had happened for him to be this frazzled but suddenly got an epiphany. "Oli-Kazuya. Where's Eugene?"

Kazuya and Kou-ge both froze at the question. "W-we...don't know... That is why we are here, to find Gene." My eyes glistened with unveiled confusion. "But since you're here...can-"

My head snapped up as I released myself from his arms. "You don't even have to ask that question, Noll. I will be pleased to be of help." My eyes bore unto him with determination.

They both smiled a miniscule smile as I then gathered my things and waved farewell. "I still have to attend my electives. I will stop by to help, or rather, I guess I would be working alongside the both of you again." I smiled serenely as Kazuya kissed my forehead as his 'see you later' and Lin ruffled my hair affectionately.

"See you later this afternoon then. Jaa~ Kou-ge, Kazuya!" I then quickly went to school to do my duties, missing how Koujo-gege gets injured and Mai getting mixed up with the paranormal researchers.

_**-Line Break-**_

The bell rang for dismissal as I quietly packed up my belongings and went towards the front of the classroom to file my report.

As I walked out my school and into Mai's, I ran into Kazuya.

"Kazuya!" I called out to him as he turned around to face me with a small, but genuine, smile. "Where are you going?"

"Lin got injured after you left this morning, and I'm here to collect a debt." He softly explained as I walked alongside him, holding my silver and light blue clipboard that I use when gathering data for research activities. "So, you still have that clipboard Gene and I gave you."

"Of course! This was given to me by my two-precious people after all! Is Kou-ge alright?" I responded with a grin as I felt one of my shiki nearby. "So, what are we investigating about?"

"The old school building." Brief and concise as always and responding with a silent 'Yes' that Kou-ge is fine. "Do you have an idea to what's going on around it?"

"You already know the answer. I'd wager that on these cases, I'll stay by the monitors alongside Kou-ge unless you send me out, right?"

"You know me too well."

As I noticed where we are, I raised an eyebrow as Kazuya nods an affirmative.

"-That's why you can't entertain yourselves by telling ghost stories." I winced and Kazuya then raised an eyebrow at me.

I sighed and whispered to him. "She's a fraud, but she may be a latent. She keeps on yammering about the supernatural forces but does it for attention. I would applaud her for a spectacular job at information gathering if not for the fact that she brags about being spiritually aware even though she's not."

He nodded back at me while subtly rubbing small circles on my back. He then stood on the doorway as I leaned into the open-door frame as Kazuya called Kuroda's attention.

"You there...If you are spiritually sensitive, then could you sense anything about the old schoolhouse?" Kazuya's voice successfully caught their attention as I placed my focus on the clipboard in front of me.

"Ah, it's Shibuya-senpai!" I noticed Mai cringe as Kuroda started walking towards Kazuya and me.

"Are you the one who put these girls up to telling ghost stories?" Her tone of voice made me grit my teeth in annoyance and made my eyes sharpen dangerously at the blatant disrespect.

"Will you please answer my question?" Kazuya was not asking. My hand, which was filing data that I already know, sped up as annoyance at the lack of respect given towards my fellow prodigy. "If you can really sense spirits, that is."

"I can sense them! There are a lot of spirits of those who died in the war gathered in the old schoolhouse." I silently rolled my eyes _'Many spirits, she says. The only spirits in the perimeter are Kou-ge's shikis earlier and my own shikis just this afternoon.'_

"I'm sure that long ago, that place used to be a hospital. I saw a lot of injured spirits there, too." I glanced at Kazuya and subtly shook my head, no. _'If there were injured spirits there then the old schoolhouse was a medical school since the place was bought a decade and a half before the second world war and built half a decade before the war began.'_ He nodded his head back in a confirmation of the conversation that passed between us.

"I did not know that there was a hospital here during the war." He crossed his arms as he looked at Kuroda condescendingly. "I had heard that the school had been here before the war. Perhaps it was a medical school then?" I smirked at that. _'My thoughts exactly'_

Kuroda looked taken aback at that piece of information. _'Tell number one: She flinched back. She didn't know about the history of the school.'_

"I don't know! But I did see them!" My eyes glittered with manic glee _'Tells number two, three, and four: Her gaze lifted from Kazuya and I, she was lying. Her posture and tone of voice seemed defensive; she knew that she was lying. Insistence, she is trying to make a point. Fufu~ How amusing, a fraud going against a PK prodigy and a Blessed, how interesting!'_ My eyes were showing my manic nature that did not show on my face.

"Some people like you who aren't spiritually sensitive wouldn't understand!" I chuckled softly under my breath. '_And how would she know that we actually are? She can't be spiritually sensitive if she can't even see that we are perfectly aware of our spiritual conditioning.'_

"Shibuya-senpai, how about we call it off for today?"

"I'm not really in the mood, either."

"No? Well then, another time. How about you, Shire?" Kazuya replied coldly but turned to a soft undertone as he addressed me.

I smirked back at him. "You know me too well to answer your own question."

"Then let's go." As I stepped out the door, Kazuya shifted to look back inside the classroom. "Taniyama-san...Might we have a moment?"

As we exited towards the hallway, Mai quickly asked me if I knew Kazuya from before, in which I replied to a "I met him when I visited London." and ended it at that.

"Um, how is that man from this morning?" I furrowed my eyebrows. '_So, Mai was the reason as to why Kou-ge got injured?'_

"Yes, about him. He sprained his left leg. He won't be able to stand for a while."

"I-I'm terribly sorry... So, Shibuya-san, how was he involved with you?"

"Assistant." I sighed amusedly as I predicted that Mai would misinterpret his words.

"You mean, Shibuya-san, you help him with his work?"

I chuckled at that as she looked at me weirdly, as if I was the one who said something wrong.

"The opposite." Kazuya curtly replied.

"Kou-ge is the assistant, and Kazuya is the boss, Mai." I leaned on the window as I unwrapped a lollipop while filing away on my clipboard.

"Now, although I have Shire, I know that she's better on the actual fieldwork and data gathering and since my assistant can't move. I believe you have an obligation here."

"W-wait a minute-!"

"The camera is broken, too." I raised an eyebrow at him, but he nodded quickly in my direction. _'So, I have a new camera I can upgrade and play with. Fufu~'_

"He was trying to stop you, because you were touching the camera, and this is how it turned out." Mai looked horrified as I sighed at her lack of common sense.

_'Why would you mess with an equipment that was set up? Not to mention, entering a building when you do not know what was happening inside...'_ I thought to myself despairingly as I quickly organized the paperwork in one of my empty file cases.

"By the way, um... how much was it?" She covered her face at the probability of paying for an expensive equipment.

"Probably more than you have."

"You mean, um..."

"You couldn't reimburse me. Which means that there is only one course that you can take. I want you to be a substitute assistant."

"Y-your assistant? Shibuya-san, you want me to help you in your work. How about Shiro-chan?"

"Isn't that what it sounded like? And do not worry about Shire. She will be my co-investigator and informant."

"Yes, the same exact job I enjoyed while I worked for you." I smirked teasingly as his cold eyes turned amused as he looked at me.

"So, Shiro-chan, what type of work are we going to do?"

"Ghost Hunting." I replied with a smirk

"Eh?"

"The direct translation would be 'ghost exterminator', I suppose." Kazuya then redirected Mai's attention back to him. "I'm from Shibuya Psychic Research and Shire has been a qualified Ghost Hunter for years now as well even though she hasn't gotten her credits yet. I was hired by the principal to investigate the old schoolhouse and I asked Shire to accompany us just now."

"Saikiku risachi?"

"Oh dear, Psychic means 'shinrei', and Research means 'chousa'. We investigate about paranormal activities when we get hired and if we are requested to, we also eliminate the cause of paranormal incidents." I explained as I walked alongside Kazuya. "And Kazuya is its manager."

* * *

_**-Line Break-**_

* * *

[Friday, Evening]

We gathered near Kazuya's van and we set off to start setting up the base as I went and graphed out the lines and start researching about the school's background and history.

"Amazing!" Mai exclaimed as she saw how many equipment needs to be set up.

"A week ago, the principal hired us. When I looked into the records given by the student council secretary, I was able to verify that up until 18 years ago, while the old schoolhouse was still in use, there would be one or two people that died there, every year." Kazuya informed Mai as he gave her some of the easier things to assemble. "It's also true that when construction crews were tearing down the east side of the school, there was an accident where the roof collapsed."

'_So, the report that Mai's principal wanted from me was to give it to them...'_ I sweatdropped slightly, my eyes focused on the monitor screen and typing while Kazuya was explaining the circumstances on how they ended up here. _'How ironic...'_

"However, no workers in fact died as a result." I followed through, explaining with a soft voice as data showed up on the monitor screen. "There were five who were injured, but the cause was a workplace mistake."

I stood up from a crouch as I helped Kazuya and Mai in transferring the equipment to the base while Kazuya continued on explaining. "The construction ended, with only a third of the demolition that was originally planned, ever completed."

I then continued. "There was indeed an incident in where the teacher committed suicide within the old school premises, however, that teacher left a suicide note that implied that he was under stress and committed suicide due to a nervous breakdown."

Mai then looked curiously at me. "Um, Shiro-chan, how do you know these things?"

I stared at her, releasing a sigh. "I was the one who sent the report to the principal under his request."

"Eh...?" Mai's eyes widened.

"That's correct. I am the secretary that your school borrowed." I blandly stated as I entered the empty classroom, quickly followed by an unfazed Kazuya and a bewildered Mai.

"We'll use this room as our base." Kazuya stared blankly as we placed our respective baggage on the table.

"'Besu'?" Mai bewilderedly asked, '_She seems to be confused a lot now.'_ I thought despairingly as Kazuya and I spared each other a brief glance.

"'Base' means kichi. This will be our command centre for our on-the-spot investigation." His voice mockingly stated as Mai's facial expressions spasmed as she looked irritated beyond belief.

"Thank you for being so courteous." Her eyebrows were twitching as Kazuya and I went past her to gather the heavier equipment from the van.

"Set up the shelves for us. We'll go get the materials." Kazuya and I went to slide open the door as Mai's voice rang out from behind us.

"You're both going to leave me here by myself?"

"Would you rather carry them? They're heavy- nearly 40 kilos."

"But Shiro-chan-"

"Don't worry about her. Shire can handle herself."

"T-then, the shelves will be fine."

As Kazuya and I walked out, the air was filled with calming silence as we walked side by side. We quickly gathered what we could bring without straining ourselves and went back to the base without missing a beat as we moved together in harmony.

Kazuya turned the fuse on while I heard a gasp from inside the base. Shaking my head, I walked a few paces behind Kazuya as he held the base's doorframe for guidance as we had bundles of cords on our arms, hearing a yelp from Mai as we presented ourselves.

"Stop goofing off and get to work." My co-worker uncaringly stated while I raised an eyebrow at the position Mai instinctively went into. _'Unless the roof is falling, that position is only effective when you're avoiding something from falling on you. If that is your instinctual stance when you get frightened, any spirit or human can easily get to you since your position is too open.'_

The base was then fully set up as Mai curiously observed everything while I was calibrating the monitors and the other equipment to power up.

"What is this?" She asked as I tilted my chair to look at what she was asking about, leaving Kazuya to explain what the cameras are.

"An infrared camera and an ultra-high-sensitivity camera." Kazuya said as he worked on his duties.

"What do they do?" I looked at Mai and sighed slightly. "They are equipment used to shoot in dark places. Thermography is done with cameras that pick-up temperatures."

"When spirits appear, the temperature drops in the area where they appear. These gauges those temperatures." Kazuya walked behind the monitors to check if the wirings were done correctly as I stuffed another lollipop in my mouth.

"It's amazing that you guys can use all of this stuff." Mai said tactlessly as Kazuya's eyebrows twitched alongside mine as our intelligence was slighted._ 'We have to be able to know how these things work because it is our job to do so.'_

"Of course, we can. Our brain works differently than yours." Kazuya nonchalantly replied as we shared amused glances between the monitor screens. "Besides, we wouldn't bother working with these types of equipment if we weren't proficient in using it at least." I mumbled around my lollipop as my eyes reflected the codes that was showing up on my monitor screen.

"You don't say." I nearly snorted at Mai's deadpanned look as her eyes followed Kazuya's movements "Well, you are an office manager at your age, and Shiro-chan has been the highest scorer in her school. So, you could say that. But why ghost hunting?" My eyes narrowed at the monitor gaps at Mai. _'She's clueless and naive about these things... She does not know, Shiro. Calm down.'_

"Because it is needed." My voice harmonized with Kazuya's as we did our respective jobs.

"But, Shibuya-san, Shiro-chan. You must've had incidents that you couldn't resolve, right?" My eyes that were still narrowed, twinkled with mirth as I met Kazuya's glance once again from the gaps of the monitors. _'Sure, if we weren't the legendary trio. With Oliver as the PK specialist, Eugene as the perfect medium, and me being the versatile 'Jack-of-all-Trades, Master-of-All', we were known as the Ultimate Psychic Triad...In more ways than one as well.'_

"Nope. I am good at my job after all. And Shire has been a part of my group before she even went back here in Japan." Kazuya's eyes were focused on mine as his back was angled towards Mai, not liking the pseudo-interrogation that was slightly bringing down our credibility on our respective professional careers.

"Amazing! The both of you are smart, you both are also good looking, too!" My eyes snapped open from their half-lidded state as Kazuya casually responded with a; "You think that we're good looking?"

"Well, aren't the both of you? Everyone else was making a fuss and Shiro-chan has a fan club at our school with both genders appreciating her looks." I quietly stored that information in the back of my head. _'I didn't know that I had a fan club when I don't even attend this school.'_

"Hmm, their taste isn't too bad." I grimaced _'... Oliver hasn't got over his quasi-narcissistic attitude huh. I feel so sorry for Kou-ge.'_

Mai was stunned at this attitude coming from Kazuya as I smirked slightly at the comedic reactions she gave out.

* * *

_**-Line Break-**_

* * *

The sun was setting just as we finished setting up the cameras and microphones around the building.

"That's all for today. You can go now." Kazuya said to the exhausted brunette as I recorded the initial temperature of each room.

"'For today'? You don't mean..."

"We'll see you tomorrow."

"Are you serious?" I rubbed my eyes slightly as I saw something strange on Mai's face. '_Are those what we call 'anime-waterfalls'? So, they do exist...'_

Kazuya and I stayed over on the base until it was midnight and our time to go home.

* * *

_**-Line Break-**_

* * *

[Saturday]

"What are you doing?" Mai appeared suddenly as Kazuya and I were checking out yesterday's data.

"Checking yesterday's data." I mumbled around the lollipop in my mouth "Doesn't seem to be anything unusual. How about you Kazuya? Did you find anything notably interesting?" My gaze lifted to meet cool blue ones.

"None at all." The clicking of heels and the shuffling of shoes draws my attention.

"Well, that's some fancy equipment you've got there." A woman with red hair and maroon eyes, dressed in a yellow dress suit commented as I observed the two strangers before me.

My eyes glazed over as I recalled the information that I might have on them. _'Matsuzaki Ayako. Daughter of two renown doctors but works part time as a... Shrine Maiden? Huh, I thought that shrine maidens are supposed to be within younger years.'_ My eyes then shifted to the male. _'Takigawa Hoshou. Born from a family of monks, he still practices his religion but works as a bassist from a local band. His spiritual pressure is high, and Matsuzaki-san's is high as well but seems to be anchored to...Tree spirits? Are there wood nymphs that are still present in cities?'_ My thoughts came to an abrupt halt as the conversation continued.

"Those toys seem to be too high-class for children to be playing with." Kazuya and I bore our gazes coldly as she insinuated that we were too young to play with adult spiritualists.

We shared a glance, but I quickly conceded and gestured for him to take the stage as he sent me an amused glance in return. "Who are you?"

"I am Matsuzaki Ayako, shrine maiden. The principal he wasn't sure about you, so he called me in to drive out the spirits." Her smug face makes me raise my eyebrow slightly, pushing my glasses on the bridge of my nose. _'Sure, drive them out if there are any.' _I did not need to look at Kazuya as he glanced at me, but I shook my head 'no'.

I spared him a glance. _'She might be useful soon.'_

His eyebrows furrowed. _'Fine.'_

I looked back at Matsuzaki-san as Kazuya started his cold commentary. "I thought that only chaste virgins could become shrine maidens." My eyes were glimmering with manic glee. _'If she tries to say that she was a virgin, it would be admitting that she never did the deed even though it's the prime age to do so. And if she denies it, her credibility as a shrine maiden will go down. That's a double kill if I ever knew one.'_

Mai and Takigawa-san started hiding their chuckles behind their hands at Matsuzaki-san's plight.

"My, don't I look that way?" I did not show anything as my glasses glinted to hide my manically gleeful gaze as I responded. "At the very least, I'd say that you are in your prime age for dating, thus a bit above the age to be calling you a maiden."...Oops, I pushed too far.

"Y-you're quite smart-mouthed little children, huh?" Her face shaded an embarrassing red as I furrowed my eyebrows a bit. _'I mean sure. I'm 15 turning 16 this September, and Oliver is 17, turning 18 in September as well, but that doesn't necessarily make us 'little' now, would it?'_ My hand was nudged as Kazuya's fingers bumped into mine, knowing where my thoughts were going.

"My sincerest apologies. I stepped out of line."

I bowed towards the red headed woman and her eyes softened as she pats my hair instead, "Apology accepted."

"And you?" Kazuya addressed Takigawa-san, who was snickering behind Matsuzaki-san. "You don't seem to be Matsuzaki-san's assistant."

"I'm a monk of the Koyasan sect, and my name is Takigawa Hoshou." The brunette male stood straight as Kazuya looked at him while I popped another pop inside my mouth.

"When did they start allowing long hair in the Koyasan?" Kazuya brutally stated as I sucked on my pop to stop myself from letting out an amused grin.

Matsuzaki-san let out as Takigawa-san's facial expression twitched as I rolled my tongue amusedly at the hilarious scene unravelling before my very eyes. "He's an apostate."...Low blow.

"I-I've just come down off the mountain for now!" An anguished glint shined briefly at Takigawa-san's eyes as he gripped his head while responding to Matsuzaki-san.

"A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Takigawa-dono." My head inclined towards him as he grinned and pat my head as well. I tilted my head. _'What's with everyone and patting my head?'_

"At any rate, children's playtime is over. Shibuya, you may have been hired because your office is in a prime location, but the principal said it seemed to be a scam to have a child as it's manager." My eyes twitched. '_Ah, the Japanese and their underestimation on the youth. How infuriating.'_

My lidded eyes became hooded slits, but I was interrupted by Kazuya. "Did he?" Subtly saying that I do not need to waste my efforts on these people, I reluctantly removed my hand from my hip pouch.

"The principal makes too much of this, calling so many of us out to this run-down old school." Matsuzaki-san whined out.

"Yep. All he needed was me." Takigawa-san glanced at Matsuzaki-san as I opened one of my eyes slightly. _'A budding romance, perhaps?'_

"My, I wouldn't be so sure." My eyes snapped towards footsteps coming to our direction.

"Ah, thank goodness." My eyes sharpened and snapped closed as Kuroda-san presented herself, but not really tuning in on them as I felt the presence of an awfully familiar blonde. "The old schoolhouse is a nest of evil spirits, and I didn't know what I would do."

I grit my teeth. _'Not only is she a fraud, but a massive chain liar as well. How utterly infuriating.'_ I adjusted my trench coat over my long-sleeved turtleneck crop top and high waisted black jogger pants with rubber dance shoes and waited for the foolish nonsense to end.

"Kuroda-san?" Mai seemed to be confused as to why the other female was here. I rolled my eyes as I stood up beside Takigawa-san as he took a brief glance alongside Matsuzaki-san and observed me.

"I'm very spiritually sensitive, so I've really been tormented by-" Matsuzaki-san was sneering, Takigawa-san was frowning, Kazuya was scowling, and I was crossing my arms at Kuroda-san as we had the same thoughts going through our heads. _'Why is she lying?'_

"You grandstander." I was about to retort but Matsuzaki-san was already ahead of me as Kuroda-san seemed taken aback. "You just want to make yourself conspicuous." Disappointment lined her tone as she spoke. "Is this how badly you want people to pay attention to you?"

"Y-you don't have to say it like that!" Mai defended her weakly as Matsuzaki-san responded as well. "I'm only telling the truth. That girl does not know how spiritual sensitivity works. She just wants to stand out."

"You can't mean..." Mai still does not see the facts so I shut my sharp eyes and spoke. "Mai. You, yourself agree that she is lying. No offence Kuroda-san, but no person who isn't affiliated to any organization or community will say that they are spiritually aware because of the people who ostracize people who have gifts or blessings like ESP or PK."

Everyone looked at me as I spoke. Matsuzaki-san and Takigawa-san with agreement, Kazuya with understanding, and Kuroda-san and Mai with bewilderment. But it seems that it does not just end there, so I sighed once again as Kuroda-san started spewing out nonsense once more.

"I'm going to summon a spirit, and have it possess you." Kuroda-san's eyes were murderous but all of us, excluding Mai, were not fazed. "Kuroda-san..." Mai is still ignorant.

"You false priestess. Very soon, you will regret this." With those last words, she left but I did not care much as I waited, excited for the arrival of one of my closest friends.

"Say, Naru-chan, what should I do today?" My eyes widened as Kazuya and I turned to face Mai.

"What did you just say?" He glanced briefly at me but shifted his eyes once again as my eyes showed the same bewilderment he has.

"E-eh?"

"Did you just call me 'Naru'?"

"S-sorry, um..."

"Where did you hear that, Mai?" I asked.

"Huh? You mean, other people call him that, too?" I relaxed a bit as she seemed to be as confused as Kazuya and I. "Sure they would!" I turned around as Mai patted the newly dubbed 'Naru' in the chest and waited for the familiar blonde to come into view. "It would occur to anyone, Naru-cissistic Naru-chan!" I choked on my pop but quickly composed myself as the familiar blonde came into view.

"Hey, everyone, I see you're all here." I bowed respectfully towards the principal and John. "This is John Brown-san."

"How's tricks" My glasses slipped as John bowed and greeted us. _'Is that...Kansai-ben?' _I adjusted my glasses quickly before he stood up as the others were laughing at his accent. "My name is John Brown, and I came from Australia. I hope you'll treat this stranger kindly."

John's baby blue eyes glittered, and his smile grew as his eyes met mine. "Uh, you see, Brown-san seems to have learned his Japanese down in the Kansai area. So, Tengoku-san please take care of him." The principal said to me as I bowed.

"I'm busting a gut!" Takigawa-san

"Of course, Kouchou-sensei. I'll make sure that during the investigation, I will fulfil my duties carefully." I replied, ignoring the laughter as the principal took his leave.

"So then, you're a spiritualist, too?" Matsuzaki-san asked, laughing as well.

"Yes. I'm what you would call an exorcist." John replies calmly, unfazed at the laughing trio. "John-nii is a part of the Catholic church and is a Catholic priest. Therefore, he can conduct exorcisms as he received the Holy Order and completed his due as a seminarian even though he is only 19 years old."

"You sure stayed updated, Shire." He grinned jovially at me but went to address everyone as well. "It's just as Shire said. I am 19 years old and I met her while I was receiving Holy Order. I also can't help but look young." I smiled softly at that and quickly hugged him and nuzzled my cheek to his arm.

"I missed you, John-nii! You finally came here, too!" I laughed as John-nii ruffled my head affectionately as well.

* * *

_**-Line Break-**_

* * *

"An exorcist, an apostate monk, and a ghost hunter? To call in this many people, that principal has no faith in me, huh?" Matsuzaki-san was ranting again as we arrived at the base while Naru and I checked on the monitors.

I was rolling a new lollipop in my mouth as I thought about what Matsuzaki-san said, sensing two other presences inside the building. '_An exorcist, an apostate monk, a ghost hunter, huh...add in a well-known medium and a shrine maiden, it would become a start of a very wrong joke...'_

"Hmph, just you watch! I'll clean out this run-down school-house by myself!" I absent-mindedly fiddled with the broken camera Naru gave me. _'Sure, you would. Even without your spiritual fuel, you'd definitely cleanse this building because there aren't any entities here.'_

"I'm going to work on my own too." _**clink clank **_the sound of the new parts that I'm placing on the ruined camera reverberated around the quiet room. '_Predictable...Takigawa-san is going on his own because he doesn't know the rest of us well to work alongside with. Well, I would do that as well if the case I was taking is like this.'_

"Um, can I..." John-nii started but was cut off by Naru. "You go ahead and help yourself, too."

"No, I mean, let me work with you." A scream rang out as I jumped over the desk and ran towards Matsuzaki-san's voice.

She was banging the door as I stopped alongside Takigawa-san, the others close behind as well.

We were trying to open the doors gently under Matsuzaki-san's pleads but we quickly decided that it was taking so much time, so Takigawa-san decided to kick down the doors just as I noticed a nail sticking out and jamming the door.

I spared a glance at Kazuya and gestured towards the nail sticking out, he received the signal just in time as Takigawa-san and I kicked the door open. Destroying the wooden door in the process.

* * *

_**-Line Break-**_

* * *

As we were back in the base, I checked the camera recording and it seemed that it was tampered. _'It was partially our fault for not leaving anybody to stand watch inside the base. These recordings were tampered with... And it was not an entity either, but human interference.'_ I thought as I saw foreign fingerprints on the keyboard and the other equipment.

"As I was looking around the classroom, the door suddenly closed, and when I tried to open it, I couldn't." Matsuzaki-san reported as we shared our suspicions with each other. "There really is something here, after all."

"No, there isn't. I don't sense any presence." A regal tone of voice rang out as I saw another familiar face.

Mai yelped and clutched at Oliver, making my serene visage tense at the proximity she had with him. "T-there it is!" She had the nerve to clutch him in front of me too.

Noting my tense form, Oliver quickly diffused the situation. "She's human." He pried off Mai's hands from himself and intertwined his left pinkie finger with mine, calming me down a tad.

I took in a deep breath and continued where he left off. "Her name is Hara Masako, the spirit medium."

"Spirit Medium?" The only one ignorant of the terms being used here was Mai but it seemed that we opted out of explaining just what some of terms mean.

"This is a surprise. He called in a famous person like you, too?" Takigawa-san gestured to Hara-san as Matsuzaki-san stood up and let out her own opinion. "What is this? You're just a pseudo-medium who gets the TV-star treatment because you're a little bit pretty, aren't you?"

But it seemed that Hara-san refused to be moved by Matsuzaki-san's degrading rant. Ignoring the woman, Hara-san was casual as she spoke. "It is an honour to receive such a praise."

"W-why, you little..."

Hara-san ignored Matsuzaki-san and addressed both Kazuya and me. "I wonder, have I ever had the pleasure of meeting the both of you before?"

Kazuya and I shared a glance. "No, I believe that it is the first time we have met."

Hara-san seemed unconvinced, even as she responded with a short, "I see..."

"In any case, there is a spirit here." Matsuzaki-san concluded. "I think that all of this is the work of an earth spirit."

But Takigawa-san was quick to refute her conclusion. "I think it's a site bound spirit. Something must've happened here in this old school, long ago."

I kept my opinions to myself as I shuffled closer to Kazuya's side. _'I know for sure that this is human intervention and natural causes.'_

"You mean, the spirit of someone who died in a certain place, and then is trapped there forever?" Mai asked as Takigawa-san looked at her and replied. "Yes. I think it's afraid that it's going to lose its home, so it's blocking the construction work."

I took a glance at Kazuya as he observed the nail he was playing with. _'Wait...Oliver is using psychometry.'_ I rolled my tongue on the new lollipop I stuck inside my mouth, linking my mind with his.

'_Oliver... Is something wrong?'_ His eyes softened as he glanced at me, showing what he saw through his psychometry.

My eyes glazed over for a second before it cleared. _'I see... It seems that we have enough to go by to end this investigation, huh?'_

_'Yeah. But we must keep low for now. Let us see what will happen for a few days first before moving out.'_ His finger tightened on mine as we put up our barriers once more.

"John, what do you think?" Kazuya spoke as we turned our gazes to the startled exorcist.

"I don't really know, but usually, a haunted house originates from it having a ghost or spirit." The blonde priest commented.

"A 'Spirit'- a 'seirei' or a 'Ghost'- a 'yuurei'" Kazuya then glanced towards Mai. "Are you listening to this, Mai?"

"Hey, are you suddenly dropping honorifics with me?" She noted as a pang of an unfamiliar feeling shot through me.

"You did it earlier yourself, didn't you?"

"I've had enough! I'm driving it away right now and getting out of here!" Matsuzaki-san interrupted the argument that was stirring familiar negativity within me. "I can't hang around you people forever." _'...You definitely jinxed all of us together, Matsuzaki-san.'_

"Are you sure you can drive it out? There is an extraordinarily strong spirit around here." I shut my eyes as I leaned on the table, silently connecting myself with my shikis that were patrolling around the place. _'Tell number five: She keeps on contradicting herself, originally, she said spirits, meaning many. But now she says that there is only one. Why does she keep on lying?'_

"Kuroda-san?" Mai commented once again.

"Out of my way!" Matsuzaki-san shoved Kuroda-san out of her way and walked out the base as Mai and I went to catch her.

"I was attacked." I felt myself bristle at that. _'She's now crying out wolf. If she were attacked, then it would've showed, and we would've heard her! She looks normal and there is no sign of struggle.'_

"You're kidding!"

"It's true. I was walking down the hallway, when suddenly, someone pulled my hair with incredible force." My eyes dilated into diamond slits. _'Lies! If her hair was pulled, then her hair would have showed it by being dishevelled. And nobody who was attacked would be this calm enough to tell Matsuzaki-san those words.'_

"When I tried to get away, it started to strangle me." I felt my teeth sharpen. _'Her neck isn't bruised or touched considering that she can still speak freely, and her clothes were as neat as earlier this morning.'_

"...When was this?" My voice was calm, contradicting the transformation taking place as I glanced at Kazuya, who was unfazed, and John-nii, who was also sceptical.

"Just a moment ago. It happened in the second-floor hallway." She replied as my sharp nails grew sturdier.

"Untrue. There is no spirit there." Hara-san was quick to rebuke Kuroda-san's statement.

"Yes, there is!" My ears started getting pointed, hiding itself on my beret. _'If she keeps on lying, I swear that she won't be allowed to tarnish her tongue with lies by removing it myself!'_ But alas, she just had to continue. "There is a spirit here. A strong spirit."

I calmed myself a bit. "Kuroda-san, please look at me." I tilted her head and gently coaxed her to calm down. "Calm down, we'll figure this out."

She calmed down as I stood up and help her re-orient herself.

Kazuya then decided to act, noticing how the back of my trench coat started fluffing out. "The second-floor hallway, you said. Shire." I swiftly turned around and shifted my aura to act like a belt.

"Roger!" I quickly boot up the monitor screens and Kazuya checked out the monitor recordings. "Okay, ready."

"Thank you, Shire." He smiled at me for a split second before focusing back on the monitors.

"What happened? Is the camera broken?" The video feed turned into static a few seconds after Kuroda-san walked away from the hallway.

My eyes were half-lidded, and my pupils dilated. _'Somebody erased the video record...'_

"No, but it is significant and actually quite normal in these types of investigations." My voice was as soft as ever as I rolled my tongue on my lollipop.

"Eh? What do you mean, Shiro-chan?" The brown-haired female bewilderedly asked.

"When spirits appear, any mechanical equipment often react towards them by not working correctly." My eyes remained focused on the monitor screens. "I wonder..."

"Which one might this be?" Kazuya continued as my fingers fiddled with my bag, wondering if I would be required to do an astral projection in this case. "A spirit? EM interference? Or perhaps..." My eyes met his again _'Human intervention.'_

"Obviously, it's a spirit!" Kuroda-san was insistent "I was attacked, at that spot!"

"But Hara-san said that there were no spirits." Mai retorted, confused at the flow of events happening.

But Kuroda-san seemed to want to earn most of the spiritualists' disappointment. "I wonder if she really has any spiritual sensitivity."

Hara-san gazed blankly at Kuroda-san as their eyes met.

"It's common for a female medium to have uncertain phases." My eyes snapped wide. _'Oliver... You of all people know that what you are talking about is bullshit. What are you planning...'?_

"Even if she wasn't able to sense it earlier, we can't say for sure that there isn't one here." Kazuya's closed posture showed nothing about what he is planning to other people, but I knew better. _'Just don't play with fire, Oliver.'_

"Then, if what you say is true, then it's possible that the spirit here is in tune with Kuroda-san's wavelength." I was lying through my teeth. _'It would've been possible... If there weren't any people who can literally see the realms of death.'_

"That could be it." Kuroda-san smiled but the rest of us shared a glance at each other.

I then walked towards her. "Kuroda-san, you must be tired. How about I escort you out so that no more attacks on you will happen?" She glanced at me and nodded gratefully.

I turned to look at Kazuya. "I'll be back quickly. Don't worry about me." I then held out a hand towards Kuroda-san, my aura effects faded already, and walked her out the door.

But as I was walking her out, I felt a stare on my person and connected my eyes with the panicking gaze of the confused Mai.

_'The hunt has just begun, and Mai has started thinking about the difficult things that aren't true.'_ My steps were silent as I escorted Kuroda-san. _'It's time for the first hunt!'_

My excited gaze turned manic with glee as I felt the anticipation for the following cases to come.

* * *

**_-Line Break-_**


	2. Case 01: File 02

_**Case 01: Evil Spirits All Over?! part 02**_

_**File 02**_

* * *

I am Taniyama Mai, a 1st-year high-schooler who loves the mysterious and stories that are a little bit scary.

One day, I was staying after school, like I always did, in the AV room together with my friends Michiru, Keiko, and Shiro, telling ghost stories, when all of a sudden, an old friend of Shiro's showed up- Shibuya Kazuya!

He is forceful, and selfish, and on top of that, narcissistic, too. And I wonder how the ice princess, Tengoku Shiro, became friends with him in the first place.

Such was Naru-chan, who works as a pro Ghost Hunter, which was also Shiro's secret job as well.

The old schoolhouse at my school is said to be cursed by spirits, so he came to investigate it, but it was not just Naru that was called in.

There is also a shrine priestess, a monk, a medium, and another one of Shiro's friends who is an exorcist.

Are the spirits here really that powerful?

What is more, one of my classmates, Kuroda-san, who seems to be spiritually sensitive, said that the reason the spirits were there was because we were telling ghost stories!

Is that why Shiro-chan never told us stories?

Why did she hide it from us?

But what if that is true?

What am I supposed to do?

* * *

_**-Line Break-**_

* * *

[April, Saturday]

Everyone was gathered near the staircase because Miko-san was preparing for a ritual of some sort.

"-I reverently pray for thy presence. Deign to ensconce thyself in this unhallowed place and purify it's many vessels." As all of this was going on, Naru, Bou-san, John, and I were standing near Miko-san, the principal, and the vice principal, who were witnessing the ritual. Shiro-chan stayed inside the base so that she could watch over any paranormal activity that might happen. "-I ask that my humble plea may be heard that peace and calm may be granted unto this place."

I was getting a bit sleepy. "What is she saying?" I asked

"You don't know about norito?" Naru asked me as his arms were crossed over his chest.

"Norito?" I was confused.

"They're like Shinto incantations." Bou-san decided to answer. "But I wonder if she can really pull this off."

"I've never seen a Shinto-style exorcism. Let us watch." Naru's voice washed over me as I carefully observed Miko-san. 'I wonder if Shiro-chan can do these types of things too...'

"May this place be as the High, Heavenly Plain. May the kami from all around come together." Shiro-chan then went out of the base and held her arms loosely around her waist as Miko-san continued her norito. "Praise be to the goddess Marishiten. I pray thee, descend, and grant us thy divine protection."_...Is it finished?_

"There will be nothing to worry about now." As Miko-san conversed with the school heads, I suddenly felt Shiro-chan tense. As I turned to look at her, I saw that her arms were clutching her elbows tightly and her eyes were glued towards the glass windows.

I wanted to ask what was wrong but she suddenly darted past us and pulled the principal, vice-principal, and Miko-san towards us, just in time to avoid the glass that shattered from the glass windows that are present in the front entrance.

"Is everybody alright?" Shiro-chan's voice snapped all of us from our reverie as Bou-san and John checked on the three.

"We're fine, Tengoku-san. Thank you for that." The principal shakily stood up and addressed the school royalty.

I just stood and watched everything that happened with Naru and silently wondered. _'What was that just now?'_

* * *

_**-Line Break-**_

* * *

"_'There will be nothing to worry about now.'_, huh?" Kuroda-san muttered musingly to herself as Shiro-chan volunteered to escort the two deans towards the med-bay. "Your exorcism didn't take, did it?"

Her voice rang out as Miko-san glared at nothing. "If it weren't for Tengoku-san, the principal might've gotten hurt." Shiro-chan arrived back in the base, quietly going back to the monitors to check on the camera recordings.

"That was an accident." Masako-san then spoke up confidently as everyone else slowly trickled inside the base as well.

"It's true. I did my part right-" Miko-san was cut off again by Masako-san. "I did not mean that your exorcism worked. There were no spirits here to begin with."

"There are so!" Kuroda-san insisted. "I was trapped by one of them!"

"Could it have been a coincidence?" John asked us as he finally arrived in the base as well.

"Maybe there really is something here. Something strong that the priestess isn't able to handle." Bou-san commented back. "If so, then there ought to have been more readings on our equipment, and since Shire has been monitoring everything, nothing would've slipped passed her notice. But she went out to check on us before any activity has been read." Naru's observation caused us to look at the serene female.

"It wasn't a spirit." The tension was so thick inside the room and Shiro-chan even stopped working on the monitors to glance at all of us as she said her opinion.

_'Man, if only I had any spiritual sensitivity.'_ I thought to myself. _'If I'm the one who summoned the spirits here, I want to be the one to do something about them.'_

"Kazuya..." Shiro-chan's soft and melodic voice suddenly rang out as she quietly pointed at one of the monitor screens in front of her, grabbing all our attention as well. "It's the classroom on the eastern edge of the 2nd floor. Before I went out of the base, I made sure to check on the monitors, and that chair was placed near the corner of the classroom."

"Did anyone go inside that classroom today?"

"Nope." "Me, either."

In the monitor screen she was referring to, we saw a chair placed in the middle of the room, conveniently placed in the centre of the camera view.

"Shire, rewind to the moment you left the base." Naru commanded the tall female as she nodded and did what she was told.

"Well then, how about lunch somewhere?" The principal's voice rang out as the mic picked up the sound as the camera remained focus on the empty classroom. In Shiro-chan's monitor though, there were graphs and other stuff on it as the same recording was showing itself, only in a coloured screen.

As the recording played, the chair moved in the same moment that the glass broke earlier. Bou-san's, John's, and my eyes widened as the chair seemed to be moving by its own accord towards the centre of the classroom.

"What's going on?" My question was directed towards a slack-jawed Naru and an open-eyed Shiro-chan.

"Couldn't it be a poltergeist?" As Kuroda-san spoke up, we missed Shiro-chan's eyes snap wide open as she grabbed her clipboard and started writing furiously on it.

"Poltergeist?" I asked, noticing that I was getting more and more clueless as the time goes by because of the unnatural events that is happening that I was unaware of. _'I need to ask Shiro-chan to teach me at least a bit about these things.'_

"I think it means _'noisy ghost'_ in German." Kuroda-san pushed her glasses up her nose. "These spirits move things around and make noises, and such."

"You know your stuff." Naru remarked. "But I don't think it is."

"Although it co-relates to one of Tisane's criteria, objects that are moved by poltergeists feel warm to the touch." Shiro-chan's voice startles most of us as we were not expecting her to speak up so suddenly as she turned her laptop towards us, showing the thermal measurements of the room and chair. "I didn't record any increase in temperature from the chair, although..." her voice trailed off as she looked at her clipboard musingly.

"Maybe not, but like you said, going by Tisane's conditions..." John commented, trailing off as well.

"Tisane?" I was going to ask Shiro-chan about these things for sure.

"E. Tisane was a French policeman who classified poltergeisting." Shiro-chan explained as her demeanour changed to her Professor persona. "Moving objects, opening and closing doors, disembodied noises, disembodied knocking, glass breaking, heating of objects, the feeling of being watched, and physical harm are the nine criteria for poltergeist activities."

Shiro-chan's words echoed strongly inside my brain. _'If that is true, then we have already filled in 3 of the conditions at least. The glass breaking, door closing, and objects moving.'_

"Then, what about Kuroda-san being attacked?" I asked, since bodily harm was also a criterion, like Shiro-chan said.

"It was her imagination." Masako-san's voice cut in as all of us, barring Shiro-chan who was still scribbling something on her clipboard, turned to look at her.

"Why don't you admit it already? There is a nasty spirit here!" Kuroda-san sounded angry as Masako-san walked out the room.

"I will go look around inside once more." Just as Masako-san was leaving, Shiro-chan stood up from her seat. "If there are spirits here, then I should be able to sense something."

"Wait, Hara-san, let me accompany you. The building is slowly rotting away, and I wouldn't like any casualties that may accidentally happen." The two _yamato-nadeshiko-like_ females stared at each other for a while, until Masako-san nodded her approval and Shiro-chan grabbed her waist bag and walked out with Masako-san.

Before she closed the door, I saw Shiro-chan and Naru share a brief glance before he nodded and went to look at the monitors in her place.

"If there really are spirits here, and both Shire and Hara-san can't sense them, that would be a shock, huh?" John commented as the rest of us watched the two females walk out.

"It's not that I don't trust what Hara-san said, but if Shire says that there aren't any spirits here, then I believe her." Naru commented as his eyes stayed glued to the door for a bit and John nodded his agreement to the statement as well. _'He stuck up for them. Could it be that Naru's a sucker for pretty faces?'_

"Why do you trust Shiro-chan's words so much?" I was curious.

"Because Shire knows what she's doing. She, of all people, would be able to see and tell if there are any entities in this schoolhouse." Naru's voice synchronised with John's as the both of them looked at each other.

"What do you-?" I was cut off

"Shibuya-san, you're just a sucker for a pretty face." I almost bit my tongue as my previous thoughts seemed to be projected out loud, but quietly heaved a sigh of relief as I noticed that it was Kuroda-san who said those words, not me. "You're sticking up for them quite a bit, aren't you? Specially towards Tengoku-san."

"I know her profession, and her talents are highly regarded, so I am only offering her the proper respect." Naru's voice was cool and aloof as he leaned on the table. "As for Shire, I have faith in her abilities as she does mine. I have known about her abilities because I have been working alongside her for years, despite the distance between us."

"Then I wish you would show me a little more respect, too, like cute and polite Shiro-chan." Miko-san said as she crossed her arms below her bust.

"Matsuzaki-san, what is it about you that I should regard highly? I'm not Shire, who is the politest, most realistic, and kindest person in my circle." His voice was bland but when it came to Shiro-chan, his voice was laced with gentle fondness. _'I wonder what type of relationship they really have?'_

"What did you say!?" Miko-san was red in embarrassment and anger as she seethed at Naru.

Cracking was heard from above us as we simultaneously flinched and looked up at the noise.

"Rapping noise?" Bou-san asked confusedly. "That thing they said that ghosts make?" I asked as I turned to look at him just as a scream rang out.

"Hara-san and Shire had fallen out of the classroom!" John's panicked voice rang out and we all rushed out the old schoolhouse to see if they are alright.

We saw them outside with Shiro-chan holding Masako-san on top of her as she took the brunt of the impact.

"Shire!" The blond priest and ghost hunter ran towards the kneeling female who was checking if her companion was alright.

"I'm fine." The usually serene female looked a bit disoriented but otherwise fine. "Hara-san, are you hurt?" Even though she was the one who took the impact, she was concerned for the other female instead.

"I-I'm fine..." The medium stuttered out as I took in her trembling form.

The school royalty then proceeded to show everyone why she was called that as she brushed Masako-san's hair out of her face and cupped her chin. "I'm glad you're alright." With a smile that can put the sun, moon, and stars to shame, she slowly helped the blushing medium up from the ground.

I was also blushing at the scene as Miko-san, Bou-san, John, and Naru watched the event with wide eyes and blushing faces as well, barring Naru.

"D-does this happen often?" Miko-san asked me as I was partially immune to Shiro-chan's princely charms.

"Ah, I haven't formally introduced her to you yet, have I?" My voice was dazed as I imagined Shiro-chan acting like that towards me. _'I'm kind of jealous of Masako right now...'_

"That is the royal charm of Tengoku Shiro, the winter royal with two fan clubs for both genders." My thoughts were incoherent as everyone looked at the princely female who was now carrying the other female bridal style.

"I'm afraid that I have to go to the hospital to get Hara-san and I checked for good measure." Shiro-chan's voice snapped us out of our daze as she carried a heavily blushing and star struck Masako-san gently in her arms. "Please be careful during the rest of your investigation. And Kazuya..." We gawked at her as she carried the medium with one arm as the other dug into her waist bag. "If you're in a pinch, you may use those."

We looked at the stack of papers that were neatly organised. My eyes were wide as I realised what those papers are. _'Those are her notes and report of the whole investigation.'_

* * *

_**-Line Break-**_

* * *

After the _'Shiro incident ver. Hara Masako'_ happened, Naru observed what had happened as we recalled Shiro-chan and Masako-san's words.

* * *

_**"It was an accident. There aren't spirits here after all."**_ was what Masako said.

_**"Make sure not to **__**stress**__** yourselves over this, **__**observe**__** properly, **__**don't rush**__** into assumptions, **__**trust**__** your instincts, and be **__**careful**__**."**_ and Shiro-chan was too cryptic.

* * *

"The part of the eastern wall that had been demolished was boarded with weak plywood, to keep the elements out." Naru explained as the rest of us listened attentively. "It split under Hara-san's weight when she got close to it and Shire tried to catch her but got dragged and fell alongside her instead."

"With that said, both Hara-san and Shire said it was an accident."

"There's no denying it any longer. There are evil spirits here." Miko-san said as we all looked at her.

We all looked at the door as it opened, only to see a perfectly fine, Shiro, minus a few bandages for the scratches on her arms and legs.

"Are you fine, Shire?" John asked her as I walked closer to her as well.

Shiro-chan smiled softly and nodded. "I've got a lot of tricks up my sleeve so a measly fall from that height won't be enough to injure me. Masako-chan is fine as well, but since she wasn't sensing any spirits in here, I sent her home to rest instead." She looked around the room with a raised eyebrow. "What now?"

"Well, we were discussing about the spirits here. The same ones that Miko-san over there failed to exorcise." Bou-san said as Shiro-chan raised an eyebrow towards Naru. "This is dangerous. An unsuccessfully exorcised spirit is like a wounded bear."

"Then, Masako's injuries are Miko-san's fault, aren't they!?" I exclaimed as Shiro-chan heaved out a tired sigh.

"What!?-" Miko-san looked angry as she turned to me, only to see Shiro-chan stand in front of me instead.

"Enough! All of this arguing gets us nowhere." She tilted her head to look at me, one of her eyes glowing a molten silver colour. "Mai, don't assume anything without the proper truth." She then looked at Bou-san "You as well Takigawa-san, don't blame Matsuzaki-san just because of an assumed failed exorcism." Then finally turning to Miko-san, "And Matsuzaki-san, please control your temper. This is currently no one's fault. We need not an argument in our midst. The best we could do is find out the source properly and finish this case."

Shiro-chan's words struck true to all of us as we finally calmed down enough to hold a proper conversation.

"Shire is right. Everything that has happened was just an accident." Naru said as I turned to him.

"But they keep on happening over and over, which is why they say this place is cursed, right?" I was frustrated and confused at everything.

"That's true, but there aren't enough readings and Shire gave an explanation to everything that has happened yet." Naru was getting irritated but once Shiro-chan placed a hand on his, he relaxed and started to calm down.

"Then, what was it that trapped the priestess!?" Kuroda-san started to act up. "What was it that attacked me!? What erased the video, broke the glass, and moved the chair!?" I then noticed Shiro-chan tense and her trench coat started fluffing up again. _'I wonder what that is?'_

"Like we said, I know for sure Shire and I aren't convinced." Naru's voice was cool as he absent-mindedly played with Shiro-chan's soft hair, I would know since I brushed her hair before.

"It could be a spirit strong enough to pretend it isn't here, could it?" Bou-san asked Naru but was quickly denied by Shiro-chan.

"A spirit strong enough to alter their wavelength, wouldn't go through such means of discreet poltergeisting if their strong enough to hide themselves. Spirits like those would try their absolute best to kill off everyone standing here immediately, just like the case in Sydney, right John-nii?" Shiro-chan's voice was thoughtful as she nibbled on another lollipop while John nodded in agreement.

"What do you think, Monk?" Naru asked, leaning on the desk once more.

"Like I said from the start, it's a site bound spirit." Bou-san replied as I looked back and forth at the spiritualists conversing.

"And you, John?" Shiro-chan looked up, her princely demeanour being shadowed by the cutesy show of childish innocence.

"I don't know." Shiro-chan's lidded eyes were now wide and shining a molten silver and blueish gray while looking up to the three from her position on the low chair. "But I agree with you and Shire, it is dangerous here."

I must be imagining things but, I think I saw Shiro-chan having a tail that was swishing back and forth as John patted her head.

"So, what do the two of you think?" Bou-san tried to ask the good-looking duo.

"I will reserve my opinion for now." Naru blankly stared at Bou-san as he gently tugged at Shiro-chan's hair. "Shire?"

**"Hmm...I think it's a man-made phenomenon alongside natural causes. I refuse to believe that there are spirits that dwell here if... I... can't... sense... them..."** Shiro-chan's head was lolling back and forth as she tried to fight away sleep.

"But you know, Kazuya. I know you want to investigate this from a slightly different angle but I'm staying here to watch over the equipment..."

"...And here comes the lazy genius." Naru muttered under his breath as he fished out a lollipop in his pocket and gave it to the, now perky, school royal.

"Like you can say anything, you idiot scientist. Just you wait, the foolish prodigies will be back together in no time." _What are they talking about?_

Naru then walked out of the room as he and Shiro-chan exchanged small smiles as he left.

"How about that boy? He makes a grand show with all of this high-faultin' equipment, but is he really capable of anything?" Bou-san muttered as Shiro-chan slowly got up and stretched.

"Well, I can't say anything about him, but I vouch for Shire if anyone tries and doubts her." John's voice was almost a whisper as he and Shiro-chan conversed. "Do you want to help, Shire?"

My eyes wandered to look at the taller female and was pleasantly surprised to see her grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"My Pleasure."

* * *

_**-Line Break-**_

* * *

Bou-san, Miko-san, Kuroda-san, and I were watching the two from the monitors and were pleasantly surprised to see Shiro-chan in her exorcism clothes.

John was wearing a black priest's robe, a purple stole, and his rosary while clutching at the bible, while Shiro-chan was dressed in a long black cloak instead of her tanned short-sleeved one while holding what seemed to be a golden pocket watch as her other hand was loosely holding a key holder with different types of ornamental keys.

"The exorcist and the royal highness finally makes their appearance, huh?" Bou-san snarked as John positioned himself to face the barren classroom while Shiro-chan sat cross legged on the desk behind him.

"I wonder what Shiro-chan will do?" I quietly asked as I stared at the monitor screens intently.

"Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name." As John splattered water around while chanting, Shiro-chan was seated there with glazed silver and bluish eyes while her hands were clasped together with her pinkie fingers let out to touch her lips.

"What is that water?" I asked. "And what is Shiro-chan doing?"

"That's Holy Water." Bou-san replied. "But I'm not sure of what little flower is doing..."

As John started to read the bible, I noticed Shiro-chan's eyes slowly became glassier as rapping sounds started to echo through the microphones. I grew increasingly worried as well when the ceiling started to look wobbly.

I felt a tug in my gut as I looked at the monitor screen in front of me. I felt a pang once more as I took off running towards Shiro-chan and John.

"John! Shiro-chan!" I panted lightly as John turned to me while Shiro-chan glanced at the ceiling. "Hurry! The ceiling is coming down!"

Shiro-chan's eyes gained a sharper look as she closed them and tackled John to the side of the room. What I saw before the ceiling went down was Shiro-chan blowing on her fingers and a silvery glow let up.

"JOHN! SHIRO-CHAN!" I panicked.

* * *

_**-Line Break-**_

* * *

"How can this be?" Bou-san and the others gathered around the classroom as Naru investigated the debris from the fallen ceiling.

The moon was already out, and the darkness was creeping up on us as everyone carefully observed and made theories as to what had happened.

"If Mai-san had not called out, I would've been in real danger because I wouldn't have reacted in time. Shire doesn't stir when she's in a meditative state unless someone was calling her attention." Apparently, Shiro-chan tackled John out of the way and the silvery glow that I saw was supposed to be her hair, but her hair seemed to stay in their pristine hair style.

"Maybe it's best if we pulled out of here tonight." Naru's flashlight was pointed at the ceiling. "Mai, you can go home."

"Really?" I perked up a bit at that.

"Yeah." He stated, walking to the fallen planks of wood and picked a piece up as Shiro-chan pulled out her key ring from her belt again.

"Right, I'll be going, too." Miko-san chirped. "'While there is life, there is hope.'"

"Just be honest and say that you're scared." Bou-san smirked towards the indignantly scoffing priestess.

As they walked out, John was the next one to follow. "I will follow your advice and call it a day, as well."

"What about you, Naru? Shiro-chan?" I tentatively asked.

Naru did not reply but Shiro-chan did. "Don't worry, Mai. We will retire for the night after this. Go on ahead." Shiro-chan smiled at me as the keys she held glinted innocently in the moonlight. "And please call me Shiro or Shi. Adding '-chan' to my name is getting a bit uncomfortable."

"Okay..." I glanced back at the room once more and turned to leave but I stood there for a bit and quietly observed Kuroda-san, who was staring at the last two left behind, but walked away as well with an uneasy feeling in my gut at the last look she gave before leaving. _'...This doesn't feel right.'_

* * *

_**-Line Break-**_

* * *

[Sunday]

I walked towards the open van and saw Naru sleeping with Shiro sitting crossed legged, meditating, across from him.

Her silver eye lazily peered open as I gently approached them.

"Naru!" I gently called out after Shiro gave me the pass to go on. "You slept out here!? You're going to catch a cold!"

The thick black blanket that was draped over him and the fluffy looking black pillow slipped from their positions as he stirred.

"Is that you, Mai?" His drowsy eyes peered open as his voice rang out sluggishly. "What do you want this early in the morning?"

I blushed a bit while Shiro silently stood from her position to grab the pillow and blanket, folding and fixing the sleeping materials and placed them in a white briefcase. _'D-damn it all, now that I take their forms, they really are good looking!'_

"M-morning? It's already past 11 o'clock." I retorted.

"Hey there!"

Naru, Shiro and I turned to look at the voice that rang out, only to see the spiritualist trio.

"What's up with your lab?" Bou-san greeted with a raised hand, his hair falling out from his hair tie a bit as Shiro walked up a bit from behind us and bowed in greeting.

"What is it, boy? Getting ready to leave already?" Miko-san crossed her arms as she asked.

I was expecting Naru to say that _'No, he wasn't going to leave yet.'_ but it seems that it was not the case.

"Yes, I am." He replied instead.

"You mean, you're running away, because you can't handle it?" Miko-san was condescending as she said this, and I could see Shiro turn her head away from us looked at the building with an unreadable expression. I tilted my head as I stared at her. _'She knows something...'_

"That's not right..." John stared at Shiro as well, noticing her unease at the situation.

"No. I've determined that the case has been solved." John and I turned back to Naru, who was looking at Shiro with an equally unreadable expression. _'Did something happen last night?'_

"You exorcised them?" Bou-san asked but looked at Shiro all the while.

"No, we didn't. There was no need for it." Shiro muttered out, her voice softer than usual as she glanced uneasily at the area.

"There was no need?" Bou-san confusedly repeated as I looked at them. "What do you mean?" The words came out from my mouth suddenly, clueless at the cryptic and short answers being given.

"Last night, I compiled all the results of Shire's gathered measurements." Naru started, gesturing for Shiro to take over the laptop. "This was the graph of our survey levels. Shiro was the first one to identify what happened. The old schoolhouse was sinking, and it sank 0.2 inches overnight."

* * *

_**"It wasn't a spirit." The tension was so thick inside the room and Shiro-chan even stopped working on the monitors to glance at all of us as she said her opinion.**_

_**"Hmm...I think it's a man-made phenomenon alongside natural causes. I refuse to believe that there are spirits that dwell here if... I... can't... sense... them..." Shiro-chan's head was lolling back and forth as she tried to fight away sleep.**_

* * *

"What?" Bou-san snapped me out of my thoughts and my eyes drifted towards Shiro, who was looking at me with a knowing glint in her eyes.

"It's subsidence." Her voice was controlled as she spoke.

"So, what?" Miko-san was bewildered as well, it seems. "You're saying that subsidence was the cause of all those strange phenomena?"

"This whole area is a reclaimed swampland." Naru continued for Shiro as she pulled out the keys from before and twirled them around her fingers, looking at the building again with unease on her usual serene visage. "Underneath the school grounds was a water vein. But when I checked the wells around here, they were mostly dry."

"What does that mean?" I asked the two people who know what was happening in the whole situation.

"The ground was weak to begin with, but since the water started drying up, the ground started to compact and sink and naturally the old schoolhouse above it will start sinking alongside it as well." Shiro said while her fingers held a gold key with white diamonds decorating its hilt, there were also weird markings in the middle as well. "Basically saying, all those accidents and phenomena that happened, were because of the uneven soil sinking the building slowly." Her glasses glinted as I remembered that she wears glasses when she is too lazy to wear her prescribed contact lenses.

"Shire's correct. The soil on the eastern side of the building was three inches lower than the west end." Three inches...?

"Three inches is..." I pondered out loud as I pointed my finger on my cheek and looking up to think of the measurement that Naru gave us.

"...about 7.5 cm, huh?" Bou-san and Miko-san looked at each other in thought.

"Then, what about the rapping noises?" Miko-san was the next one to ask.

"Those are the sounds of the building warping." Naru said as Shiro took a final glance at the laptop and closed it shut. "We should have the area around the old school declared off-limits."

"I already informed Kochou-sensei and Kaichou about that, said that they'll put it into action by Wednesday, they said." Shiro's voice was getting drowsier but she quickly pulled out a lollipop and nibbled on it. "The building will collapse sooner or later, so we're placing in the safety measures by Wednesday to make sure that our investigation and such, will be done by then."

* * *

_**-Line Break-**_

* * *

As we were cleaning up, Shiro went to an emergency council meeting so she was not here but Kuroda-san seemed to arrive to replace her.

"This can't be! Then, what was it that attacked me!?" Kuroda-san exclaimed, and I looked at her warily, remembering the glare she sent out last night.

"If that really did happen, then maybe it's the work of a floating spectre that was following you." Naru seemed colder than usual as he gazed at Kuroda-san coldly. I furrowed my eyebrows._ 'Is this his normal temper if Shiro isn't around?'_

"It was real! I was really attacked!" Kuroda-san cried out as she insisted that she was **'really attacked'.**

"Are you really leaving, Naru?" I asked as we watched him pack up the rest of the equipment.

"Uh-huh. The job is done. But I think that I will stay for a bit since Shire is here. I might invite her to work with me again."

"I see. I guess it is, huh?"

_'Somehow, it just doesn't feel all cleared up. I can still hear what Shiro said, it is still ringing in my head. And my gut feeling agrees with her too...'_

* * *

_**"-it's a man-made phenomenon alongside natural causes."**_

* * *

I spaced out on the confrontation between Kuroda-san and Naru, still thinking about what Shiro said. _'...How is it a man-made phenomenon? What does she mean about that?'_

I snapped out of my reverie as rapping sounds started and the very same person, I was thinking about appeared and pulled out Kuroda-san out of the way from the broken glass.

"Kuroda-san!" My voice rang out without my consent as Shiro stared at Kuroda-san with an unreadable expression.

"These are Tisane's conditions! everyone get out before the doors start opening and closing!" Shiro called everyone back to their senses as Naru gazed around the area with wide eyes.

"Kazuya! Snap out of it!" Shiro started to pull him alongside her as we started to go out of the room but the doors started to fulfil another one of Tisane's conditions.

"This is really dangerous!" Bou-san remarked as the building started to shake.

"Let's go!" Naru finally regained his senses and pulled me along to the walls.

"But the doors..." I worried for nothing because just as I said that the doors were busted down by Bou-san and Shiro.

"We'll go out this way!" Bou-san led us out the building.

* * *

_**-Line Break-**_

* * *

"Are you okay, Kuroda-san?" I asked the other female as Shiro got a first aid kit from her bag.

"Matsuzaki-san, can you please treat her wounds for me?" Miko-san nodded towards her gratefully. "Thank God, there's finally someone who brings along a kit without prompting. You didn't even have to ask, Shi-chan."

"The cut doesn't seem to be deep..." The silver haired female remarked as she turned to walk towards a silent Naru. "It would be fine within the next few days."

"What was that?" Bou-san asked Naru and Shiro as Naru held his gaze up the clouds. "Are you going to tell me that what happened was caused by the ground sinking too!?" Bou-san was getting angry. "That was a full-on poltergeist, wasn't it!?"

As Bou-san tried to step forward, Shiro stepped between them, calmly looking at Bou-san without saying a word while I looked at them worriedly.

"It was far from the sound of the building warping; something was definitely knocking on the walls." Miko-san also looked angry as she spoke to Naru.

"This makes four out of Tisane's nine conditions that have been met. Shire...you should've told us about it if you knew." John's disappointed voice filled my ears as I watched Shiro look away.

"How can you say that your data turned up blank? That's ridiculous!" Miko-san threw out. "We were this close to being the butt of your childish joke. Shi-chan, even. I thought that you might be better than stupid pranks like these."

"It's time for us to show a little grown-up earnestness." Bou-san said while I looked at Shiro worriedly, her hair was covering her eyes and her face was blank.

"...-in't listen to what I said before, did you?" Shiro's whisper was so quiet it almost seemed like it was wind.

"Huh?" The others turned to look at her.

"I said that you didn't listen to what I said before, did you?" My eyes widened in realisation.

* * *

_**"I think it's a man-made phenomenon alongside natural causes. I refuse to believe that there are spirits that dwell here if... I... can't... sense... them..."**_

* * *

"What are you talking about?" Miko-san then huffed and turned around. "Good grief, never mind that, I can't even stand to be near you." Miko-san and Bou-san then walked away while I looked at Shiro and Naru worriedly, my anger fading as I took in Naru's tense form and Shiro's disappointed gaze.

"Naru, Shiro, your hands!" My gaze was drawn to the bloody appendages as Shiro got a roll of bandages from her hip pouch.

"It isn't serious. It'll stop bleeding soon." Naru's back was turned away from me while Shiro's was wrapping his hand beside him. "We're fine. You should go see Kuroda-san" Shiro's voice was sharp and it lacked her usual serene edge.

"But..." I started to interject.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd leave us alone right now." His voice was low as he gently grabbed Shiro's hand with his uninjured one. "I'm so mad at myself, I could throw up. I didn't even consider what Shire said before." He then walked away with Shiro beside him.

"Okay..." I muttered out worriedly as I took in their forms disappearing from my sight.

* * *

_**-Line Break-**_

* * *

It was night-time again.

Shiro was back because, apparently, Naru wanted her to keep an eye of things until he comes back.

We were packing up the rest of the things but Shiro said that we should put up some microphones down the hallways and a few cameras as well, for 'research purposes' she said.

"You're not going to watch our monk's exorcism?" Miko-san was leaning on the doorway while Shiro avoided talking to anyone else but me and John since they made up earlier.

"No, thank you!" I was annoyed at them because of how they treated Naru and Shiro earlier, and even though Shiro's here, they have not apologized yet.

"Are you sure about this?" John asked, gesturing to the other wires he was packing up. "Should you really be packing up?" His youth appearance seemed younger as his smile lit up his face.

"If we have to, Shiro and I can always carry it back in." I smiled back towards the blond priest while Shiro started putting down the shelves. "She told me that I should set up a few of the cameras and microphones instead." Shiro was now setting up a metal briefcase with a few knobs and notches lining up the space. _'...If I was not sure of Shiro teaching me about these things, I'll definitely say that I'm sure now.'_

"Do you still believe in the boy's explanation? Shi-chan, Mai?" Miko-san and Bou-san were standing in front of the door...

"Do you have any proof that Shiro and Naru are wrong!?" I glared at them, getting irritated at their judgemental attitude. "Shiro! Say something!"

She paused in what she was doing, and her straight posture slouched and her eyes were lidded as her gaze drifted towards us. "...I'm afraid that I can't really say anything to convince them otherwise. Didn't you hear the saying _'It's not wise to preach to non-believers.'_?"

"I would rather waste my time collecting ants rather than convince them without my proof at hand. I did say before that there were two components to consider on this case. One was human-factoring and the other was natural causes. I already gave proof to one but..." Her voice was steadily growing colder and colder that I could feel a chill in my bones. "...the needed proof hasn't arrived yet. You will see. My conclusions are rarely wrong." Her voice finally cracked.

I gave her a bottle of water immediately after that. I was in her fan club and I knew that Shiro does not talk unless necessary so her voice breaks before she can speak again once her voice cracks. So, for her voice to crack means that she had already exerted herself for the time being.

"Now, now..." John was uneasily shifting as he gently gave Shiro some honey mint candy to help her voice come back faster.

* * *

_**-Line Break-**_

* * *

I was carrying the microphones out of the base to set it up while Bou-san was chanting. _'How is chanting that gibberish incantation going to clear out evil spirits?'_

"They're mantras that are dedicated for cleansing and purifying, I think." I jumped a bit into the air as Shiro's huskily hoarse voice rang out from my left side. "Those mantras are really useful when used for non-human exorcism, but it can hurt if you target it on humans. I'm not really familiar with chants and incantations..."

"Eh? You mean that he's actually exorcising spirits?" I whispered back to her in disbelief.

"Both of them can do proper exorcisms, you know?" She raised a befuddled look towards me. "However, in Matsuzaki-san's case, there are conditions for her to fulfil in order to conduct a complete exorcism."

"Conditions?"

"Never mind that. Let us finish setting up these things first."

I nodded towards her and quickly set up the necessary equipment throughout the school.

Once we were finished, John, Shiro, and I gathered on the bottom of the stairs.

"I've set up the microphone on the east hallway on the second floor." John said with a smile.

"Thanks." I smiled back, his and Shiro's smile are quite similar and can calm the people around them. "Sorry to put you to work like this."

He waved a hand in dismissal. "I don't mind." He then pointed along the hallway. "Anyhow, I'm going to go look around inside some more."

"Be careful, John-nii..." Shiro's voice was still hoarse from too much use but it was gradually getting better.

'_Deciding to wait for Naru is fine and all, but is he really coming back?'_ I snapped out of my thoughts as Shiro gently tugged on my vest and faced the entrance.

"Kuroda-san..." My voice resounded as Shiro got her key ring from her belt.

"Well?" Kuroda-san's voice was low as she asked me.

"Oh, Bou-san and the others are making their rounds right now."

"What about Shibuya-san?"

"Kazuya will be back by tomorrow." Shiro's voice answered us as she fingered a long bronze key with weird patterns on its hilt.

"Eh? Shiro what's that?" I asked curiously, looking at the key.

She raised an eyebrow. "These?" she gestured towards the keys. "These are some of the ones I use for cases. These are my guardian keys... I might use them someday, so I will let you study it when I use it. It'll be easier that way."

"But, aw, man, are there really any evil spirits here?" I asked my thoughts out loud, not serious.

"I saw them..." Kuroda-san spoke up, her eyes glinting with conviction.

I grimaced in disbelief "O-oh, yeah." I stuttered a bit as Shiro stopped fingering her key and sighed exasperatedly towards the ceiling. "You did say that, huh?" I can literally imagine what Shiro was thinking.

"They're not here anymore." Miko-san's voice came from behind us, although Shiro was already looking at her. "The exorcism was successful."

I glared at her "You've said that before and it failed, didn't it?" I snapped back at her. "Shiro believes that your exorcisms were successful, but she also said that it would be useless because of the circumstances!"

Miko-san raised an eyebrow towards Shiro at that but remembered what I said before. "This time it'll be okay!"

"They're still here." Kuroda-san said as I can feel Shiro flinch and, if I did not know any better, feel her rolling her eyes as well. "I can feel them. There are still many spirits here."

Shiro turned around but I can hear her whisper something along the lines of, "Of course there would. My shiki are guarding the area." _...What's a shiki?_

"Still pretending to be spiritually sensitive?" Miko-san sounded tired of her. "Give it up. We're pros, here."

Shiro then spoke up to avoid the incoming argument. "Takigawa-san, John-nii..."

"It's fine." Bou-san said as he walked towards us with John trailing behind him. "Ayako may not have done it, but I did."

"What did you say!?"

"Please quiet down..." Poor Shiro's voice could not handle anymore and wheezed out, unheard by the arguing duo.

"Well it's true, isn't it?"

_"Please..."_

"You think you can take credit for my work!?"

"_Quiet down..."_

"Same goes for you."

_**"You two please..."**_

"Oh, come off it!" I was already irritated, Shiro's blank face was getting stonier and stonier the more she pleaded so I took the matters into my own hands.

"Now, look here!" I finally exclaimed, frustrated for Shiro and myself, who were both caught in the middle of the crossfire...literally.

"Quiet...!" Shiro's statement was synchronised with John's hushed onomatopoeia. "I hear something...!" Poor Shiro, her voice was wheezy as she tried to sound coherent with her state of voice.

I opened my senses to hear..."Footsteps?"

Bou-san rushed up the stairs to check it out. "Is anyone there?"

He quickly went down. "No. Must've imagined it." I felt Shiro tense as she gripped the key she was holding, towards her mouth and the symbols on it started to glow slightly.

"H-hold on! We imagined it!?" I was indignant and in disbelief at the horrible excuse we were just given. "We definitely heard something!"

"Takigawa-san, all of us heard it... And if anyone tries to make an excuse about how it's just the wind, I'll definitely show you why I'm a part of this line of business..." Shiro's breathily alluring voice sounded out as she pointedly looked at Miko-san's sheepish expression.

"...After the self-important lecture you gave to Kazuya and me earlier, I would've expected you two to admit your failures and lament about it but, I guess not." The silver-blue ombre haired female continued.

"Yeah! Did Naru make up such sorry excuses then!?" I also snapped at them, not as coldly as Shiro but heatedly instead.

Rapping sounds then cut off what I was going to say next as I flinched back with everyone, minus Shiro who was loosely holding her, now glowing, key to her side.

"Knocking!" John informed us, startled at the abrupt appearance of the nine conditions.

The light bulbs broke above us as Shiro precariously grabbed a... deck of cards? _What is she going to do with those!?_

"There are more footsteps than before!" John stood back to back with Shiro as he avoided the fallen glass.

"What is this, an indoor track meet!?" Bou-san asked rhetorically as Shiro looked at him with a deadpanned expression. "The two of you, it's too dangerous in here! Get outside!" Bou-san stated to Kuroda-san and I as the other four stood in standby.

"R-right!" I stuttered out as I pulled Kuroda-san along while Shiro volunteered to escort us out. "Kuroda-san, hurry!"

We ran towards the exit but as I passed the shoe-cubbies, one started to fall on me.

The last thing I remembered was me holding the warm wood, and someone pulling me out of the way.

After that, I passed out.

"JOU-CHAN!?"

* * *

—**_End Break—_**


End file.
